You Can Run
by cherriescoffee
Summary: Draco Malfoy has been trying to fulfill his task for years as a Death Eater, while Hermione Granger has been running for many years. Then one night they meet. Oneshot. Rated M for violence and small dark themes.


_Who's that knocking at your door?_

 _You've got lots to answer for_

Draco Malfoy, without a sound, stooped over a long map which portrayed different European countries. Some countries and cities were marked with a tiny 'x', indicating that the blond-haired ex-Slytherin boy didn't need to worry about them anymore.

Five long years have passed since the battle of Hogwarts and since then Draco ticked off only six places on the map. To his great dismay, the others remained unknown to him – he's been struggling for years to put down the still breathing member of the Order of the Phoenix, once and for all.

He simply could not find her, yet the Death Eaters had spies almost everywhere, moreover since Voldemort came to power no one dared to go against him, especially because they were terrified of him. Draco also saw how the Dark Lord punished those who didn't pledge their loyalty to him. The memory lived vividly in his mind; how Ron Weasley turned to him with his last breath and then, after spitting a great amount of blood onto the floor, he asked Malfoy how he is able to look in the mirror after those things he did? The young Death Eater did not answer, just kicked the other man's side and let him bleed to death on the floor after the Sectumsempra curse.

The past five years have deeply changed Draco, even he noticed the shift in himself, not just his mother, Narcissa, who watched with despair what has become of his son. He turned cruel, just like how the Dark Lord wanted him.

A knock out of the blue pulled him out of his thoughts, he glared at the door which immediately opened and the older Malfoy entered the study. The oak door closed in silence behind him and Draco immediately knew why his father came to visit him.

"The Lord asks, my son, how the mission is going," The voice of Lucius sounded strangely silent as if he was afraid of the answer.

"I need more time," came the response succinctly, then the older man swallowed.

"Still?"

Draco suddenly felt a strong urge to curse him and send his father to the otherworld.

As the years passed, he could no longer tolerate his father, particularly when he wanted to tell him what to do. And the younger Malfoy didn't like it when someone tried to control him.

"I'm close to finding her," he finally gave an answer to his father, then directed his attention back to the paper lying in front of him.

"You've been saying this for months," Lucius shook his head. "The Lord is impatient, Draco, you know what we could lose..."

"The Lord," the blond-boy cited the word mockingly "Can wait a little bit longer, I'm sure."

And with that sentence, the young Death Eater considered the conversation with his father closed, who after a quiet sigh left his old study room. Draco went back to indulge in the analysis of the map, but he could not figure out on what basis has the last living member of the order been moving. He could see no connection between the marked villages and cities, which made him even more furious. He did not even notice that his fingers were gripping the black marble table firmly until the table lamp next to him began to shake. The blonde drew his breath sharply and with that, he pushed all the stuff that was on the table off the furniture with all his strength. The clattering of the lavish, empty whiskey glasses as they hit the floor and the buzzing of the lamp filled the huge room and almost completely suppressed the sound of the man's wrathful panting. Draco Malfoy felt indescribable anger, the dark magic flowing in his entire body wanted to burst out. _Control yourself._

For a few seconds he stood still among the broken glasses, then with a negligent gesture, he brushed them aside with his black shoes, then turned to the window from where the moonlight already sneaked in, meaning it was getting late. But he didn't care about it, he had to find the girl.

 _Yes, he must find and kill her, just like he did so with the others._

 _Pray the Lord your soul to keep,_

 _You got problems now, my friend_

Hermione Granger wouldn't have thought that she would spend the next few years with constant escaping. The Death Eaters practically followed her all the time, more often than not a young blond-haired young man who was once a classmate of hers at Hogwarts, but now, he's only a filthy Death Eater, nothing else. She wouldn't have even thought that Draco would follow his father's footsteps and would turn to the dark side, but somehow he did. It burned into her memory forever how those two, certain words left the young man's mouth and then, Ginny Weasley's lifeless body dropped to Hermione's feet. There, at that moment, something forever snapped in her. Faith, hope, happiness. They all came to an end when the members of the Order began to be taken out one by one – she was the only one alive, perhaps due to her luck or fate. Nevertheless, the young witch has taken it as a curse. A curse that forces her to watch how her loved ones are taken by the Death Eaters' hands.

A tear rolled down on Hermione's face as she came back from the world of her memories and found herself in the forest of Devonshire, which was rather spine-chilling at late night. The owls were hooting fiercely on the branches of the trees, sometimes the music of a crow could be heard in the moonlit night, and Hermione had no idea what time it was. She assumed it was almost midnight, so after a deep breath, she went on continuing her route before the Death Eaters could trace her. She had no desire to change her position, however, she must do so if she didn't want to end up dead.

As she walked deeper into the woods a grim feeling began to take over her; she couldn't really wrap her mind around it owing to the fact that no one else would be lurking in an abandoned English forest that is far enough from the city and villages, except her. Hermione, all of a sudden, stopped then looked around cautiously; beneath her feet, leaves and branches were crackling which split into two as a consequence of her weight. She turned her head to the right which she regretted instantly at that moment; a sharp pain shot up her face. She placed her hand automatically on the scratch, and she was reluctant to find that the protruding branch had cut her skin so deeply, that her blood began to spring from the wound.

"Great," she murmured then wiped her bloody hand carelessly on her trousers.

She could only hope to get out of the forest before the wolves smelled the scent of blood.

It would lead to so much trouble, moreover, she's having zero moods and energy to deal with wolves, perhaps to fight. She had greater problems than that. She sighed profoundly, then turned right, deciding that her bleeding wound and the wolves cut no ice – and in minutes she finally found a path. The feeling of relief filled the young witch as she didn't need to go a long way to reach the place where she could apparate.

Then it happened unexpectedly. She was entirely unprepared for this. If she didn't have a great sense of hearing maybe she wouldn't have been able to catch it; but Hermione did have a good hearing, furthermore the forest was silent, even the smallest noise could be heard. It was a faint pop, indicating that someone's just apparated. A small, soundless swearing left the mouth of the ex-Gryffindor girl, and she cursed herself for not having left the woods of Devonshire earlier. There was a crackling of twigs right behind her and she gradually realized that it was too late. This is the end. Her lips were trembling, her hand gripping tightly her wand, and the crackling voice was getting harsher and harsher, and then suddenly it faded away. _He stopped._

She didn't need to turn around to figure out who was standing behind her. She almost sensed the dark magic flickering in the air, the evil vitality entirely surrounded her and the forest as well. Hermione spun around slowly to face Malfoy, clutching her wand so firmly that her fingers turned white. There was a triumphant and frightening grin on the man's face, from which the witch had a strong urge to vomit and she felt like the world was twirling around her. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest, and the panic began to slowly but steadily overcome her.

Out of nowhere Hermione swirled around and started to run.

 _You can run,_

 _You can run,_

 _I don't mind_

Draco laughed out loud at her cowardice. Pathetic.

"You can run, Granger, but I'll catch you," the blonde boy shouted from a great distance, treading on the heels of the witch.

He was chasing her viciously, coming after her like a shadow that soon absorbed its master. He was right behind her, just like the certain death which came for her. He wanted to drag her down, deeper and deeper so she could not run away. Dark magic gained control over Draco, and he felt as if something transmundane settled in him. There was one single goal floating in front of his eyes; to capture the mudblood and slam her to the filthy ground where she has always belonged. He'll show her where her rightful place is, he will show no mercy. He was trailing closely behind her – he knew his desire would soon be downright satisfied.

Hermione's ears were ringing as a consequence of the crackling noises which the underbrush made under her feet. Her face was getting more and more covered with scratches and her immaculate skin flushed red, but she didn't even care. She saw the word 'get out' in front of her eyes. _I can not die, I can't die. Not like this!_

The young witch screamed loudly as a root jutting out caught her leg and fell on her stomach. Smelling the wet leaves and the soil she began to feel nauseous again and was afraid she would be seeing her dinner very soon. With the help of her hands, she crawled to her feet and shook the dirt off of herself. The blood flowing from the wound on her forehead covered her right cheek with a long, straight line which was mingled with a little mud. She almost felt her lungs wrenched from her chest, but she couldn't afford to stop. She had to run.

She set off again casting curses behind her to slow down the young Death Eater, but none of them hit the blonde boy. However Hermione was suddenly struck by a stunning spell, so she came to face to face with the ground again.

She rolled onto her back while pressing a hand to her head that became more and more unbearable. And when she heard that someone came to a halt right in front of her, she glanced up carefully and her brown eyes widened in horror at the sight.

 _You saw things that shook your core,_

 _Things you've never seen before_

Draco Malfoy towered above her, his pale skin was stained by red marks, obviously, he had run into a couple of branches too. He was panting intensely, his chest rising up and down, his gray eyes almost seemed entirely bloodshot. The young witch shivered unintentionally.

The whole situation was just like a gruesome dream where the ex-Slytherin boy is the beast, and Hermione is the prey, and it was only a matter of time when the beast would demolish its victim. The ex-Gryffindor girl lay on the ground saying nothing, waiting for Malfoy to finally cast the deadly curse, however, nothing happened. They stared at each other silently for a few minutes, until Draco grew tired of it, and stepping closer to her, the boy gripped the girl's wavy curls and then yanked Hermione to her feet by her hair. A painful cry escaped from Hermione's throat.

"Did you really think I was going to let you run away? When I finally got to lay hold of you?" he hissed in her face, and Hermione felt a strong urge to slap the boy across the face.

"If you want to kill me so much, then do it. Do it, Malfoy, don't hesitate!" panted the ex-Gryffindor, then pushing him in a provocative manner. Draco breathed sharply.

"Let's have some fun first," he whispered, his voice sounded even more menacing than usual.

With that phrase he pushed the girl to the ground once again not giving her a chance to say anything – the boy pulled out his wand within seconds aiming it at Hermione who, with her head lifted up, was looking at him. As if she tried to mock me, Malfoy thought to himself, and his hands suddenly began to quiver. Hermione noticed it too and a mocking grin appeared on her lips.

"What's that? Don't have the courage to cast the curse on me?" She tried to seem confident but her voice trembled, just like she did.

" _Crucio!"_

It was a simple word yet it was enormous. And immeasurable pain. Hermione didn't even remember how much pain and torture came with the cruciatus curse, it was like her body was being ripped into two, she began to feel dizzy, and she was afraid that something might snap in her brain. She felt pain like she was stabbed with knives multiple times, and it cut deeper and deeper, her face slowly became wet by her tears.

She had no idea for how many minutes she had been under the curse, but she knew one thing for sure – it seemed like an eternity. Then suddenly, she felt nothing. _Am I dead?_

The world seemed completely blurred in front of her as she opened her brown eyes, and she couldn't clearly see when someone crouched down beside her. Malfoy. Hermione groaned in pain, the aftereffects of the cruciatus curse spread through her whole body.

"See, mudblood" said Malfoy slowly, "you're at where you belong. In the dirt."

Hermione spat Draco in the face.

"Go and die, Malfoy," she replied, while she's trying to grab her wand warily.

"Your wishes, Granger, are very touching, but only one person will die here and that's going to be you," the young Death Eater sighed dramatically while wiping Hermione's saliva off his face, then with his gray irises looked at the sky.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," she said, tilting her head to the side then lifted her wand. _"Stupefy!"_

The curse got Draco unexpectedly, which hit him right in the chest, and thanks to that, he flew a few feet back, therefore the ex-Gryffindor girl had the opportunity to get up from the ground. She could only take a few steps when she felt her left arm got hit by the Severing Charm and the deep wound began to bleed. Damn it! She hissed when she pressed the palm of her hand against the cut, from which the dark red liquid began to flow within seconds and glided down her hand, then finally dropped to the muddy ground. A desperate shout left Hermione's throat, she lifted her other arm then aimed her wand at Malfoy, who in the meantime stood only a few feet away from his former classmate with a sardonic smile on his lips.

 _Truth gonna come out, someday_

 _It's gonna wipe that smile right off your face_

Both of them clutched their wands and pointed them at each other as they walked slowly and warily in round and round. They were both prepared to lunge forward, the branches and leaves were crackling pitifully under their feet.

"Lower your arm, Granger. We both know you are not a killer" the man broke the silence, shaking his head slightly.

"Wanna bet?" Hermione raised her eyebrows. _"Avada Kedavra!"_

The killer curse nearly hit Draco in the head but instead, it smashed into one of the trees which at once surrendered and fell over. The features of the man were shadowed for a moment with a twinge of fear, then a wide smirk spread across his face. Hermione swallowed.

" _Expelliarmus!"_

" _Protego!"_

They stopped. For minutes they only looked at each other in silence, neither of them had enough courage to move. In the woods, nothing but their heavy breathing could be heard, which sometimes got broken up by the hooting of the owls. Malfoy narrowed his gray eyes, and Hermione without blinking stared at her opponent. They followed each other's small movements with their eyes, the tension was almost palpable, unbearable, and surrounded them completely. While the young witch wanted to get even with the other, Draco was driven by vengeance. The air was filled with darkness and light, it was like they repelled each other.

Then without warning and without notice; it happened. It was a tiny, faint movement, almost aerial. An arm was raised in the air and that specific curse was revealed.

" _Avada Kedavra!"_

And the killer curse made a triumphant hit.

 _But you can run_

 _You can run._

 **THE END.**


End file.
